Acceptance
Etymology
From Latin "acceptare" (to receive willingly), a frequentative of "accipere" (to receive), from "ad-" (to) and "capere" (to take). The willing element is built in: to accept is to take toward oneself, not merely to have something happen to you.
noun · /ak-SEP-tunss/
The act of receiving or coming to terms with something as it is.
What it names
An active peace with reality — distinct from mere approval or defeat — which is why it can be a hard-won achievement, not a giving-up.
Example
Acceptance of the diagnosis freed her to plan the year she had, instead of grieving the years she didn’t.
Related idea
Acceptance faces reality clearly and makes peace with it while still acting where one can; resignation is acceptance drained of agency — the passive surrender that stops trying.
See also